Metal, Giclee, Metallic, other - which would work best with this image?

troutstreaming · December 19, 2009

Apologies in advance as I have previously posted this on the other forum I frequent but received no replies.[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]

I am looking for some advice - I want to print the attached image BIG and STRIKING to give as a gift to the athletic department of the school I shoot for (they picked the image). I have limited experience outside of the standard papers and I am very curious about metal (Bay Photo processed), Giclée - canvas, or maybe as a last option - metallic paper, as they already have a wall of 'standard' 20 x 24 images on paper purchased from me and I want this to stand out. Any thoughts on what presentation is most likely to pop with this image? And just how big can I go with it on that media?

[/FONT]<center>[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]

[/FONT]</center>[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]
The image is from a 1Ds Mk II with a 200 2.0 at 2.0, ISO 1600, 1/1000 so lots of initial quality to work with in post. I have not yet post-processed it by hand - this is just an autoprocessed rendition. At these setting there should not be any blown highlights on the uniforms in the original exposure.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Andy [/FONT]

pathfinder · December 19, 2009

I have prints from a 1DSMk II printed at 20 x 30 inches that are grain free. They, however, were shot at ISO 100.

I suspect that, if the file is as sharp as you describe, and not under exposed, with a bit of noise reduction, that it will look quite nice. I like the "metallic" surface paper from Bay Photo. ( I have two 24x36 in landscape prints from them, shot with a 5DMk2. ) I have a number of images shot at ISO 1600 with a 1Ds MK II that appear grain free in prints.

The color looks just a bit yellow, when I measure the whites in their jerseys. Probably from the reflection of light from the floor.

That 200 f2.0 looks like a very sweet piece of glass! I have been coveting one myself.

Art Scott · December 19, 2009

Long with what Pathfinder said above....I suggest that in Photoshop you change the resolution to at least 300 or more to get as near 8x10 as possible.....this tightens up all the pixels.....to do what I describe...in PS go to image...down to image size click...now the little screen ....go to bottom of that screen and make sure that ONLY constrain proportions is checked ....if the "Scale Styels or Resample image" boxes are ticked....UNTICK them ...do not want to change anything but the dimension of the file to as near 8x10 as possible.........Now change the dpi to 300 or what ever is need to get it to as near 8x10 as possibe....a little bigger or smaller is not going to hurt

Take into your trial version of GENUINE FRACTALS (that you well get by cliking on the Words Genuine Fractals FREE TRIAL ) now take your 300 dpi image and upscale to the size you want and look at it in the preview...ifit is acceptable...save....you should have around 19 more you can save.....GF trials are fully functional it took me over a year to use all of my free saves..........What I described above is going to get you an 8x10 resolution enlargement....so no viewing distance is needed and usually no noise or grain.....now I like Pathfinder shoot as clsoe to 100 iso as possible and I do this even with iomages shot with my 8mp cam set at iso 80......I like really tight pics..................

ON the GF Free Trials page you can get as many different free trials of software you want all at one time.............

Tosser · December 22, 2009

I'm not a fan of metallic papers being used for pictures with people in them. It tends to be a little "harsh" for skin.

Also, canvas will not likely give you the sharp details typically desired in a sports photo.

My suggestion is to print very large. You should easily be able to go to 20X30 and probably even 30X40 with good resolution. I've printed 20X30 pictures taken in a gym with a 1D3 at ISO 2500 with no noticable noise from typical viewing distances.

You might also look at adding a special effect from PS (poster edges, etc.) to give it a graphic look and set it apart from your other shots.

troutstreaming · December 27, 2009

Tosser wrote:

I'm not a fan of metallic papers being used for pictures with people in them. It tends to be a little "harsh" for skin.

Also, canvas will not likely give you the sharp details typically desired in a sports photo.

My suggestion is to print very large. You should easily be able to go to 20X30 and probably even 30X40 with good resolution. I've printed 20X30 pictures taken in a gym with a 1D3 at ISO 2500 with no noticable noise from typical viewing distances.

You might also look at adding a special effect from PS (poster edges, etc.) to give it a graphic look and set it apart from your other shots.

Thanks all for the replies - especially the comments on the utility of the metallic papers and canvas for sports.

Responses to off topic comments:
From a photo selection perspective - this is the image the client wants - they had plenty of tight images to choose from as well (and the existing prints are all tight images of current athletes). The image is significant to them because it shows most of this years starting line-up and the two seniors so I understand why they picked it.

ISO 100 v. 1600: I would love to be able to shoot at ISO 100 in gyms that don't allow strobes (no on camera strobes allowed and the ceiling in this gym is low enough that the SID does not want to put up 'real' strobes - even if I bounce them). the 200 2 allows me to be at 1600 versus the 3200 that I would be at with 2.8 glass. Motion blur is forever - noise I can work with and I prefer 1/1000 at 1600 over slower shutter speeds and lower ISO.

Genuine Fractals - long time user and I resize myself to target printer dpi so that I can output sharpen to the target image size and media so this will see genuine fractals once I choose the target output.

Color casts - the image has not yet been processed for printing so I will work on whites/blacks/skin tones/luminance curves/sharpening and all that and will see what I can do to clean up the white uniforms. Thankfully this is at mid-court as the last row of lights around the court is interior to my shooting positions so in tight to the edges stuff (including lay ups/dunks) I am 'shadow side' of the action and the shadows are heavily contaminated - not to mention the cycling of the lights. Someday one of the camera manufactures will set things up to so that white balance can be set by shooting distance so that I can do a better job in these sort of situations, but in the meantime after years of playing with different white balance techniques I am just shooting autowhite balance and crossing my fingers that I can clean things up in post (I hate sitting and waiting for the action to frame itself in one perfect spot so I persist in taking images in parts of the court that I know will be royal pains to clean up).

Happy Holidays,

BradfordBenn · December 29, 2009

What I did before I did a big print 20x30 if I remember right, was do small prints (4x6) on different media, these might not work well given the availability of some of the sizes for the media you are thinking about but it worked well for me

Metal, Giclee, Metallic, other - which would work best with this image?

Comments